There is a child that exists in all of us. For some, this little boy or girl is buried alive under years of pain and abuse. As we uncover the child spirit, we experience the emotions, the thoughts and even the behaviors that have been repressed for decades. Unless at some point we are able to embrace our inner child at whatever age and stage it shows itself to us, we will re-enact childhood events in some very destructive and unconscious ways. Yet through this courageous work we find the pathway to joy, serenity and wholeness.
To the degree that each of us is dedicated to wanting there to be peace in the world, then we have to take responsibility when our own hearts and minds harden and close. We have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid, to find the soft spot and play with it. We have to have that kind of courage and take that kind of responsibility. That's the true practice of peace.
~ from PRACTICING PEACE IN TIMES OF WAR by Pema Chodron